I'm worried about this too. I was under the impression that it would be easy to get in-state tuition if I was financially independent for a year. However, scrolling down:

"the UC Residence policy requires that students who are under 24 years of age, whose parents do not support them or whose parents reside outside of California demonstrate their own financial independence and complete self-sufficiency for the two full years immediately prior to the term California residence is claimed."

So, as I understand it, if I claim financial independence now, I won't be able to become a resident until I'm a 3L. It looks like a fairly easy process if you are over 24 though.